USA Blue Loses to Sweden, 6-2; USA White Falls to Finland, 4-3

By USAHockey.com, 08/04/14, 3:15PM EDT

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LAKE PLACID, N.Y. - USA White lost to Finland, 4-3, in the late game today at the U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp. Sonny Milano (Massapequa, N.Y./U.S. National Under-18 Team) had a goal and two assists.

Finland's Aleksi Makela made it 1-0 with a slap shot immediately following a faceoff win at 3:38 of the first period.

In the second period, the U.S. and Finland traded goals with the Finns striking first on a goal from Saku Kinnunen at 8:18 for a 2-0 lead.

Just over three minutes later, USA White cut Finland’s lead in half when Connor Clifton (Matawan, N.J./Quinnipiac University) scored from between the circles off passes fromMilano and Hudson Fasching (Burnsville, Minn./University of Minnesota).

With just under five minutes to go in the second, Finland answered with a goal from Kasperi Kapanen.

USA White came back within one when Ryan MacInnis (St. Louis, Mo.) passed to Milano, who carried out of the zone, weaved around a couple Finns in the offensive zone and popped the puck past goalie Kevin Lankinen for a short-handed marker to end the period scoring at 19:44.

Finland doubled its lead again with a goal from Hannes Bjorninen 2:43 into the third.

The U.S. drew within one on a power-play goal from Will Butcher (Sun Prairie, Wis./University of Denver). Butcher carried the puck into the offensive zone, passed to Milano, and then went hard to the left of the net. Milano found Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill./Miami University), low on the right side, and Louis fed it across the net mouth back to Butcher, who tapped it in backdoor.

USA White pulled its netminder with a minute remaining but could not send the game into overtime.

Sweden opened the scoring 9:10 into the first period on Adrian Kempe’s high wrist shot from just outside the left faceoff dot.

At 15:37, Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich./U.S. National Under-18 Team) picked up the puck in the corner, curled back through the left circle and elevated a shot over the goalie’s glove. Taylor Cammarata (Plymouth, Minn./University of Minnesota) and John Hayden (Greenwich, Conn./Yale University) drew the assists.

Sweden regained the lead, 2-1, with a rebound goal by Leon Bristedt at 2:04 of the second stanza. Victor Olofsson skated to open ice on the left wing and gave Sweden a two-goal lead at 7:32.

Alex Tuch (Baldwinsville, N.Y./U.S. National Under-18 Team) pulled USA Blue to within one, 3-2, on a strong individual effort at 13:49. Tuch grabbed the puck in the neutral zone, weaved through the neutral zone and snapped a shot under the goalie’s blocker from the right circle.

Sweden expanded its lead to two goals yet again with 4:28 remaining in the second period.

USA Blue had multiple power plays in the third period, including two separate five-on-threes, but it could not narrow the margin.

Sweden tallied twice in the final two minutes, the first into an empty net, to complete the scoring.